ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Oct 31, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Tanzania's internet was blocked for a third day Friday as reports of further election protests surfaced and the opposition rejected the results on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whose government is accused of a campaign of repression, had sought to cement her position and silence critics in her party in the virtually uncontested polls, with the main challengers either jailed or barred from standing.

Wednesday's election descended into chaos as hundreds took to the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities, tearing down her posters and attacking police and polling stations, leading to an internet shutdown and curfew.

With foreign journalists largely banned from covering the election and a communications block entering its third day, information from the ground has been scarce.

Witnesses in the towns of Sinza and the capital Dodoma told AFP that protests had continued late Thursday with people burning tyres.

There have been reports of a large number of fatalities but they remain unconfirmed and multiple hospitals and health clinics were too afraid to talk to AFP.

Local news sites had not been updated since Wednesday, and Hassan has not commented on the unrest.

The only official statement came from army chief Jacob Mkunda late Thursday, who called the protesters "criminals".

- Zanzibar 'robbed' -

In Zanzibar, a tourist hotspot, Hassan's ruling party had already been declared winner of the local vote on Thursday.

The opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo, rejected the result, saying: "They have robbed the people of Zanzibar of their voice... The only solution to deliver justice is through a fresh election."

A senior party official told AFP that ballot boxes had been stuffed, people allowed to vote multiple times without ID, and their election observers kicked out of counting rooms.

The ruling party (Chama Cha Mapinduzi: CCM) was due to give a press conference later in the day.

At a meeting place for opposition supporters on Zanzibar, there was dismay and fear.

"There has never been a credible election since 1995," said a 70-year-old man, referring to Tanzania's first multi-party vote.

None of those interviewed gave their names.

"We are afraid of speaking because they might come to our houses and pick us up," said one.

- Crackdown -

Hassan has faced opposition from parts of the army and allies of her iron-fisted predecessor, John Magufuli, since she took over upon his death in 2021, analysts say.

They say she wanted an emphatic victory to cement her position, and the authorities banned the main opposition party, Chadema, and put its leader on trial for treason.

In the run-up to the vote, rights groups condemned a "wave of terror" in the east African nation, including a string of high-profile abductions that escalated in the final days.

Much public anger has been directed at Hassan's son, Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, accused of overseeing the crackdown.

ACT-Wazalendo was allowed to contest the local election in Zanzibar, but its candidate was barred from competing against Hassan on the mainland.